Sharing Cheese is a Kind Gesture
by DappledKarma
Summary: On a fateful summer morning, Nagisa runs into a certain green-haired girl. New friendships blossom. And the fluff too!
1. Chapter 1

Cheese was one of the most important things in life to Nagisa. So when the stacked packages of the treat she clumsily held in her arms fell to the ground, so too did her tears.

"My cheeeese! Oh, no, my poor, poor cheese." She was on her knees and hands, sniffling, palms sweltering on the summer sidewalk.

People passing by stared at her, but continued on with their business. Except one girl. She approached the mess and picked up one of the packages. Nagisa was so deep in despair over how her favorite food might be ruined she didn't even notice the girl.

"Um, excuse me," the girl said. Her hair and dress were green, and her eyes a greyish blue. She seemed around Nagisa's age. "Here you go... I think they're fine." She held the package toward the white-haired girl.

"Oh?" Nagisa took it and pressed it against a cheek. "Ah, you're right. The cheese has survived impact! I better pick them up before they melt."

The green-haired girl stared at the pictures of cheese as she began stacking the packages. "You should be more careful. That's a lot to carry all at once..."

"I know, but I was really dying for some cheese." Nagisa's mouth started watering. "When I saw them on sale, I couldn't resist buying." And Mami was likely to be upset since they had plenty in their apartment already, but more never hurt anybody.

The green-haired girl lowered her eyes to the floor, tapping her index fingers together. "Would you, um... would you maybe need help carrying them around?"

"Sure. I don't live far from here, it's just past the intersection coming up." Nagisa stood, now carrying half the packages. "Let's go!" She started humming.

Nodding meekly, the green-haired girl handled the other half and followed. They walked a little, passing an alley, before Nagisa realised she forgot to thank the girl.

"Oh, I didn't catch your name!"

"Yuma," she whispered. "Yuma Chitose."

"Well, thank you, Yuma. I really appreciate your help. I'm Nagisa Momoe." She smiled sweetly.

Yuma turned her head away from Nagisa's view momentarily, a frown on her lips.

"You're welcome. Na-Nagisa Moemoe - I mean Momoe!" Her cheeks pinkened slightly.

"Aaaaaah, don't tell me you're going to start calling me 'Moemoe' too! I have a friend who teases me like that sometimes." Nagisa sighed. It all started when Mami introduced her to Sayaka.  
><em><br>"Momoe?"_ Sayaka had asked. _"More like Moemoe! Just, just look at her!"_ The blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around Nagisa and twirled around. Nagisa had sworn she momentarily saw pieces of cheese dancing around her head afterward - none of which she could ever grab, no matter how hard she tried. It was a sad day.

"Yuma is sorry, she really is!" Yuma said. "But, is that such a bad thing, getting called moe?"

"If I'm so moe, why does no one offer me cheese? Hmph." Nagisa pouted.

"Yuma... Yuma doesn't think it works like that, ehehe."

"The world would be a better place if people shared food more often."

"I think you're right about that."

That made Nagisa smile. "So, Yuma, do you attend Mitakihara Elementary School too? I've never seen you around."

"No... Yuma is just visiting the city. I live in Kasamino..."

"Ah, well I hope you're enjoying your stay here. You're really nice."

Yuma stopped, leaving Nagisa to take a few steps forward before noticing. The white-haired girl studied her face. She noticed Yuma had bags under her eyes, and her skin seemed somewhat pale.

"Are you okay?" Nagisa asked. "We're almost there, so you can rest at my home, if that's all right with you." Mami would certainly be fine with it. The older girl would always smile whenever Nagisa brought over friends and sometimes baked her famous peach pies for them to enjoy.

Yuma bit her lip.

"Hey… what does that say up there?" She pointed at a dome-shaped building many blocks away on the opposite side of the street.

Nagisa had to squint to see the kanji on the building; she couldn't remember the place, although she recalled going there once. "Roller… Skating… Rink. Oh yeah, I-"

She turned back to Yuma, only to discover her running away with her half of the cheese.

"Yuma, where are you going!?" Nagisa rushed after her, trying her best not to lose any of the food.

Yuma went into the alley, Nagisa trailing behind her. It did not take long for the white-haired girl to begin closing the distance; Yuma was running sluggishly.

"I'm sorry, Nagisa! Please don't follow me-" Unfortunately for her, there was a small puddle of water she didn't notice. It caused her to slip and fall on her back, and sent the packages scattering across the floor. "Oww..."

"Yuma!" Nagisa set aside the food and rushed to her. She helped her sit upright. "Are you hurt badly anywhere?"

The green-haired girl couldn't look at the oval yellow eyes full of worry. "I, I told you not to follow me..." She tried fighting back tears. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you just come with me? We have plenty of food."

"I'm sorry. Mama was right…" Yuma's voice weakened.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry. Mama was right…" It was almost a whisper. "Mama was right…" Her eyes closed.


	2. Chapter 2

A light wiping sensation against Yuma's face caused her to wake. Slowly her eyes opened to a yellow blanket with black polka dots covering her body. Sitting beside her on the bed, and holding a napkin, was Nagisa. Surprise was on her face.

"Oops - I'm sorry, Yuma! I didn't mean to wake you. You had some drool running down your cheek."

Yuma, disoriented, looked at Nagisa for a moment. When she realized where she likely was, she turned away from the much-too-kind girl and said nothing.

"How are you feeling?" Nagisa asked.

Yuma didn't give her an answer. Instead, she observed the room. Pink shades covered the windows. The walls were painted a creamy yellow color. Shelves overflowing with plush toys lined them and surrounded the two girls. Yuma had never seen so many toys in a bedroom before; she was allowed to have only a few in her own. Nagisa's parents must really love her, Yuma thought sadly.

The white-haired girl frowned at Yuma's silence but nevertheless continued, "You were asleep for quite a while… you had me really worried, but Mami said you fainted from a lack of sleep and food, and that you'd be just fine."

Yuma shifted. She did feel better now. Her stomach was growling at her, but she didn't want to further be a burden. So she changed the subject to something else that caught her attention.

"Nagisa... Nagisa calls her mom Mommy?"

Nagisa's face practically grew neon red.

"N-n-no, her name is Mami! She's my guardian, not my..." For the first time since Yuma met her, Nagisa averted her eyes. "My mom," she said, voice low-key. She headed toward a window, her back facing Yuma.

Yuma felt more guilty than ever. Clearly, she had reminded Nagisa of an unpleasant memory. Yuma's existence seemed to serve purely as a bane for everyone around her. She felt a stinging in the corners of her eyes.

"Nagisa..." That was all she managed to conjure. It was like the words she needed to say got trapped in her throat.

Nagisa pulled the window shade up, revealing the dark sky and lights spread across the city streets and buildings. When the girl turned her head, there was a smile on her lips, though a hint of a frown had shown in her eyebrows, for a moment.

"You were asleep for about twelve hours, you know? I'm sure you could eat a dozen cakes all by yourself. Mami and I had some leftovers from dinner, but she said she doesn't mind cooking anything you want."

Yuma sat up and grasped the blanket. She was starving, yes, but her curiosity starved too, for an answer to her question: "Why... why does Nagisa keep helping Yuma?" She rubbed teary eyes. "Yuma tried to steal from her, Yuma is a bad girl, Yuma can't do anything right..." She closed her eyes and started crying.

Then she opened them in surprise when she felt Nagisa cup her hands around her own. They were filled with a warmth that spread to Yuma's entire body.

Nagisa's yellow shimmering eyes were a stark contrast to the black sky framed behind her outside the window.

"Sometimes people make mistakes they wish they could take back." Her hands trembled slightly. "But... but you don't have to drown yourself in sorrow just because you made one. The weight of your sadness may feel heavy, but you have others who'll lift you out of it, who'll help you avoid making the same mistake twice." She held on firmly to Yuma's hands. "You have me."

Yuma, sniffling, wrapped her arms around Nagisa. She smelled like a bakery.

"Th-thank you, Nagisa. Y-you're the kindest person I've ever met."

"Not for long." Nagisa caressed the girl's back. "Mami's much nicer. Come on, let's get you downstairs. She'll be delighted to see you awake, and she bakes the most wonderful peach pies."

Nagisa guided Yuma by the hand, and they left the room. Maybe Mama wasn't right after all.


End file.
